The Legend of Zeren
by ZerenWarrior
Summary: What have I done to shoulder this burden? What sins have I committed to deserve all this despair? What resolve have I shown to be cursed with all this power and responsibility? If this is what "destiny" is about, then I'll curse this destiny to the depths of hell. If you believe that being a puppet to a higher power is the ideal life, then just die and watch as I change this hell.
1. B1CH1: Breaking News

**Book 1: Responsibility  
**

 **Chapter 1: Breaking News  
**

* * *

The boy sat in the Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop. The news was still a heavy load on his mind as he played with the tea in the small cup, watching it shift from side to side without spilling. He was the avatar. He just found out a few hours ago.

At first he didn't know how to react to the news. First of all, he never wanted to be the avatar. He never asked. Today was his sixteenth birthday and he intended to spend it with his mom. Next thing he knew, some geezers from City Hall requested an urgent meeting and then the gut punch came.

How could anyone prepare for news like this? How inconsiderate is it to have so many great expectations going into your sixteenth birthday, only to be shattered by the weight of the world thrown on you by people you only see on the news. Knowing that he'd have to undergo rigorous training in body and spirit. To have to leave everything behind to go travel the world. To likely be a target once the news of the Avatar's return spread. Everything negative about the situation attacked his mind.

He ran his hand through his black, bowl-cut hair, giving it a slightly unsettled look. He brought the cup of tea to his mouth and took a sip, but was caught by surprise by the temperature. It was already cold.

He sighed and pushed the cup to the middle of the table, which came as a signal for the waitress to come. "Was the tea not to your liking?" The waitress asked in concern.

"Huh? Oh...n-no that's not it, sorry," He replied constantly shifting back and forth from his thoughts to reality. "I just have a lot on my mind. I wasn't thinking," He explained as she took the cup.

"Shall I bring a fresh cup for you? Free of charge," She offered.

"Yes, thank you. And sorry again," He bowed his head slightly. She smiled warmly.

"It's no trouble," She replied before walking off.

He always liked this tea shop. The service was always so quick and loving. It felt like a second home. A place he could easily come to and relax. Even the hospitality of a common waitress would be enough to get his head out of the stormy clouds for a few minutes.

Unfortunately, today, it wouldn't be enough. Sixteen was a magic number in growing up for a number of reasons. First kiss, driving, parties, jobs, the first taste of an adult's life usually happens as they reach that age. But for him, it wasn't a taste. It was practically a full holiday meal of all of the foods he hated the most.

The waitress came back with a hot cup of jasmine tea. "Here you go," She said warmly.

"Ah, thank you. Are you sure I shouldn't pay?" He asked, visibly uncomfortable by the Samaritan gestures of the waitress.

"Like I said, it's no trouble at all. You're a regular here and it looks like you have far more on your mind than the cost of some tea," She reassured. She made sense, he couldn't deny that. She left him to his thoughts, but shortly after the bell rang on the door.

"How did I know I'd find you here, Zeren?" A woman's voice said from the entrance.

Zeren looked up. "Mom?" He realized. Appearances can fool anyone. She looked nothing like a mother would. She was visibly young and vibrant. It was clear that Zeren took after his mom in many of her facial features with her long black hair in a pink scrunchie and wore a viridian colored one-piece dress. She caught the eyes of many customers as she walked in and sat across from Zeren.

He avoided his mom's eyes, looking to the bottom right corner of the room. She gave him a sympathetic smile and waved one of the workers over to the table. "Yes, I'll have the same thing that my son is having," She ordered.

"Right away Ma'am. Is that all?"

"Yeah, that's it for now." The waiter went to go work on her order. She looked back at Zeren with the same sympathetic look and started leaning her head on her hand, propped up by her elbow. "Y'know, I want to brag to the world about my son being the avatar, but that solemn look makes it veeery difficult to do."

"If you want to brag, go ahead. I'm not stopping you," He answered.

"Liar. Anytime you're against something you have that habit of looking to the bottom right side," She snickered. His eye twitched. He knew his mom was right, but his pride wouldn't allow her to have the satisfaction of teasing him while he's down.

"How would you know?" A lazy, pitiful question came out of his mouth. Her tea came.

"Here you go, Ma'am," The waiter said.

"Ah, thank you," She said handing him five yuans. They slightly bowed to one another as genuine thanks for service and payment. "'How would I know', you asked?" She blew on the tea and sipped some. She winked at him giving him a vibrant smile. "I'm your mother, of course."

He knew that was the answer she'd give. It was obvious and cliche, but he didn't exactly ask a question that begs for a complicated answer. "Plus, you got that habit from me," She explained, pointing a teaspoon at Zeren. She leaned back in her chair, swaying her feet side to side, looking up to the ceiling. "I remember the first time I noticed it! You had to poo, but you were so uncomfortable letting your precious mom watch! After all that time you spent training to use the potty," She was being unnecessarily loud with such an embarrassing memory in a rather quiet place.

"Mom!" Zeren tried to catch his mom's adrenaline before it got to too high, but to no avail, she continued the short story.

"You were looking to the bottom right, holding it in and fidgeting in your diapers! It was too cute!" Zeren had died a little inside. A shell of himself was left, slouching on the table while his mom was laughing to herself, swimming in nostalgic memories. Awkward stares raped Zeren but had no affect on his mom.

After his mom had his fun, she quickly changed her tone. "Anyway, Zeren. I know it's probably stupid to ask, but how are you feeling? Tell me truthfully."

Zeren brought himself back up and kept quiet, not because he didn't want to answer, but because he didn't know how to answer. Being the avatar was supposed to be an honor, right? He should feel proud, right? Wrong. He was being stripped of his right to live his own life. A life free of heavy burdens. Of course, he thought that just because he was the avatar, it doesn't mean he'd face hardship in his life time, but in every era, there's always someone who opposes the ideals bestowed on the chosen being.

"I don't want it." He answered. It was honestly the best, most straight forward answer he could give. His mom didn't budge at all. She took the answer head on as if she were fully expecting that response, and she honestly was.

"Then don't be it." That was a response that Zeren wasn't expecting. He fully expected the "don't knock it til you try it" response. When he looked at her, she was being dead serious. Probably as serious as she'd been all year long.

"Whaddayou mean?" He asked. The answer she gave couldn't have been more straight forward. But he asked this, as if seeking a positive answer to allow him to move forward.

"Exactly as it sounded," She said, sipping her tea again. Zeren looked down at his cup of tea and took a sip. It was much warmer this time.

"Is the answer really _that_ easy?"

"It can be. There will always be someone who disagrees with your decisions, but at the end of the day it's _your_ decision to make. Always remember that." They both sat there, sipping their tea til it was finished. Zeren thought about what she said, but he still felt like he had a job to accomplish being the avatar. It was his choice to make, but the duty to the world greatly outweighed his say in the matter. At least that's how he thought.

"I'll...I'll give it a go," He hesitated. He wasn't sure why he said that. Fact was, the world was enjoying a time of peace. Maybe somewhere deep in his mind, he thought that everything would be fine. He'd just take a few years to master the elements and come back home.

"Are you sure?" She asked, skeptical about his answer.

"I'm sure." He wasn't sure at all.

"You know you don't have to, right? Say the word, and I'll personally go tell those council members to go shove their ancient avatar prophecies up their-"

"It's fine, Mom, really," Zeren said hastily, catching his mother in a state of aggression as she cracked her knuckles with her brow scrunched together. He knew how she would get when serious or when it concerned his happiness. But this was his problem. It wouldn't make much sense making a scene in City Hall. Her reckless behavior could very well put them on front page of _Republic City Times._

"Okay, if you're positive you're fine with this, I won't argue," She said, relaxing her muscles. "When are you supposed to report back to them?" She asked, shifting gears.

"They never really gave me a choice, honestly. They said that escorts would come pick me up tomorrow morning."

"Going?"

"To the Fire Nation. They said I would first need to master firebending."

"Fire Nation, huh? Well then, we better go home and start packing. It's already passed midday."

"Uh, the counselors said I wouldn't need to bring anything with me on this journey. Everything would already be taken care of."

"Well the counselors can kiss a donkey hippo's behind. _They're_ not your mother. _I_ am. And _I_ say we're packing!" She put her foot down, with a slight pout.

Lenka couldn't help but smile. As vibrant and kind-looking as she is, there was no containing her foul-mouth, especially when people tried to parent her or him when it wasn't their place to do so. Although, it was the second time she said "we". It begged the question.

"By 'we' you mean you're-"

"Yup, I'm coming with," She finished, grinning at Zeren. Something about that made him feel relief. It's not like he was a "momma's boy". Not by any means. But if anyone's presence could give him a positive outlook on things, it was hers, by far. Still though, it didn't stop him from persisting.

"What about your job? You can't just leave Republic City. You've built a life here," He explained.

"A life for _you_ ," She clarified, poking his forehead from across the small table. She winked and said, "Besides, my son is the avatar and I'm manager of the place. I'm sure they'd understand."

"But-"

"I don't intend to stay with you for your entire journey, y'know. It's just for a few months until you get adjusted."

Zeren stopped persisting. His mouth moved, as if trying to find a question to stump her on. But he knew it wouldn't work because she always somehow had an uplifting answer. He should have known better that she wasn't gonna sacrifice her whole career for something that he wasn't even too sure about.

"Let's get to packing then." He said, speaking her language.

"Yes!" She celebrated. She just then exposed herself to Zeren. She wanted nothing more than for a few months off her job at the market. This was his mother. But there could be no one better.


	2. B1CH2: Welcome Aboard

**I planned for this to be a weekly release, or at the very least as quickly as I can get these chapters out. This chapter just happened to be finished sooner than I expected (ironically longer too) so there really isn't any point in holding it until Friday. Enjoy!  
**

 **Book 1: Responsibility  
**

 **Chapter 2: Welcome Aboard  
**

* * *

Zeren held his bags and stared into his relatively empty room for one last time in a while. The only things that remained were obvious furniture essentials such as his bed, desk, and other things. It was happening a few years earlier than he originally intended, but he was moving out. At the very least, he wasn't alone.

"Let's go, Zeren," His mom commanded. "Our escorts will be at the docks soon. We don't wanna be the ones to keep them waiting."

"Yeah, I know," Zeren answered. He turned off his light, leaving the empty room in pitch black darkness as he closed the door. No sound could be clearer. You could hear all the gears turning within the knob as if there were no other sound on the planet. As his mom locked the door to their house they walked and talked.

They didn't really discuss the avatar stuff. That was behind them. They just talked about stuff that randomly peaked their curiosity. "Have you ever been to the Fire Nation mom?"

"I've only ever been to Ember Island," She said. "I used to go there for vacation when I was young." She caught what she said and corrected herself. "Well, younger than _you_." Zeren looked at her. He didn't understand why she thought she was old. She looked nothing like that. When Zeren thought about it, he never asked her about her age. It was a given that she looked younger than most mothers, but he remembered something that she told him to remember. "Never ask a woman about their age." It was most likely why the question never came up.

"Why didn't _we_ ever go to Ember Island?" Zeren asked curiously.

"It got boring. When you go to a place every time you get tired of it before too long," She explained.

"Not me! I've never even been there!" Zeren yelled, snapping at his mom. She laughed and calmed his mind by agreeing to go there sometime during his training. She patted on his head, visibly still a bit taller than him, which made Zeren feel like a kid.

He slapped her hand off of his head but she put it right back as if she were a fly that's sole purpose for life was to bother him. The slapping and shifting sounds as they fought for control began to drown the city life out and many people began to look on the weirdly adorable display.

When they got to the docks, a Fire Nation ship had already been sitting there with two people standing in front. A man and a girl, one about Zeren's height and age and the other about his mom's height and a bit younger. Zeren and his mom walked up to the two. Zeren rubbed his head in pain and his mom rubbed her hand that had been smacked countless times on the way there.

"Are you Avatar Zeren?" The taller man asked. Zeren stopped rubbing his head despite the pulsing feeling.

"Y-Yeah. I guess you can say that."

"Avatar Zeren" was a title that he would not get used to anytime soon. Though he knew that he would need to. The taller one bowed to him respectfully.

"It is truly a pleasure to finally meet you Avatar Zeren."

"Just 'Zeren' is fine," Zeren intervened before the introduction could be finished. He may have been the avatar by title, but he was far from the real deal.

"My name is Omin. The shorter one is Shouno," Shouno bowed after the introductions were given. Omin was tall but fit. His hair was kept in a ponytail and he was light skinned with golden eyes, wearing clothing suited for a Avatar escort assignment. Shouno had pale skin but a beautifully, vibrant face, enough to make Zeren's heart beat a bit faster. Her hair was black and cut in a shaggy, bob style with her bangs hanging just over her eyebrows. Her eyes were an amber color that pierced through anything she looked at with a captivating effect and a small beauty mark underneath her right eye.

She wore gray, short-sleeved coveralls that barely showed her figure with a fire nation insignia on the back and wore black boots with pointed tips. Not clothes you'd typically expect, but it looked stylish to the eye nonetheless, and her slender arms were completely covered in white bandages.

"It's a pleasure, Zeren," Shouno said with a warm kindness that took Zeren by surprise. He avoided her eyes, but didn't make it obvious. Instead he looked at the bridge of her slender nose. They bowed back with the same respect that was showed to them.

"Is this your sister?" Omin asked, honestly a bit curious.

"Oh! N-No, this is my-"

"Oh my!" His mom gushed with positive emotion, dancing from side to side. She quickly grabbed Omin and wrapped herself around his arm. "You sure do know how to sweep a lady off her feet!" She continued with her delusions, further embarrassing Zeren and making Omin uncomfortable. Shouno looked on, not even attempting to help Omin.

Zeren pried her off of him while saying, "S-Sorry! This is my mother, On Ju!"

"Your mother?" Omin asked, obviously confused. "But she looks so young..." He added fuel to her fire and she nearly broke free of Zeren's grasp. He earthbended her feet to the ground so she wouldn't be able to move until she calmed down.

"Sorry, but she gets really excited when people compliment her on how young she looks. I've seen her do this to men and women alike, actually." That comment caused Shouno's eye to twitch.

"Well, now that introductions are out of the way, we should get going. We have a full two day trip ahead of us," Shouno informed them.

"Two days? The Counselors told me you'd be here by the morning. Why two days all of a sudden?"

"We were already out at sea when they told you that." Zeren started to sulk. Being out at sea for two days isn't something very appealing to hear. Especially when there's not much of anything to really do. "Don't worry. It'll pass before you know it," Shouno tried to ease his mind, but it had little effect.

Omin took their things and led them onto the big, metal ship. A lot had changed since the days of the Hundred Year War, as well as the ships. Zeren had seen models of them from back then in the Republic City Museum, but these looked very different. More "luxurious" than anything else really. But it may be because it's not an army ship. This is just a regular escort after all.

When Zeren got to the center of the boat, he had looked around and noticed plenty of scratches on the boat's surface. "I think this boat needs to be refurbished a bit. It's filled with scratches."

"Nah, that's just some scars from a run-in we had with pirates," Shouno clarified, making a poor first impression of the escort assignment.

"Excuse me?" Zeren hoped he had heard that wrong. An escort assignment that had been butchered before it could even take place. He had it in his mind to collect his bags and get right off the ship. Despite being a capable fighter, he wanted nothing to do with pirates. And why pirates? In this day and age?

"Don't worry," Shouno winked. "We got rid of them real quick," She said. "I may not look it, but I'm really strong, y'know," She added, showing plenty of confidence in her strength. Borderline cockiness in fact.

"You're a bender?" He asked her.

"Firebender, yeah," She said, pushing her hair behind her right ear. It was little gestures like that that made Zeren's heart skip beats. He had no trouble talking to girls, but their feminine charm always got to him. "One of the best in the Fire Nation. Second only to my master." Omin came out of nowhere, palming Shouno's head as if it were nothing and ruffling up her hair. "Hey!" She tried to shake Omin's hand off, to no avail.

"Sorry. This one tends to be full of herself a lot," Omin excused.

"Are you a bender too?"

"No, but I'm a capable fighter. My uncle made sure I learned how to fight at a young age." They walked and talked.

"Same with my mom." Zeren told them.

"Really? She's a bender too?"

"I'm an earthbender. I taught Zeren everything he knows."

Omin was about to send a compliment her way without realizing it. He caught himself before saying anything. The last thing he wanted was an episode like earlier to happen again. "That's great," He said and left it at that. He wanted to tell her how it's weird seeing her as an earthbender when she had such a delicate looking face, but it's just how he is as an individual.

They separated into two pairs. Shouno with On Ju and Omin with Zeren. They escorted them to their rooms, where they could get comfortable for a while. Shouno opened the door for On Ju's room. It was dimly lit with candles and had Fire Nation decorations set all over the place. Antiques and all. It was nice, but the lighting didn't really catch On Ju's eye much.

"Don't you have a brighter lit room?" She asked, turning to Shouno uncomfortably.

Shouno had her hand on her hip and leaned against the wall with her other hand saying, "No, sorry. These are as bright as it gets." On Ju wasn't afraid of the dark or anything, but in the day time, especially not even breaking midday yet, being in a room where the light is so dim, might as well have no candles at all. "Don't worry Miss. There's no need to stay in this room all day. We have lots of fun activities to do while we're out at sea anyway," She said.

Frankly, that sounded like a stretch to On Ju. What kind of activities could be done by four people out at sea for two days? If there were such activities, then she'd never seen them before. At least not on a smaller escort ship as opposed to a ferry.

On the other side of the hall, Omin opened the door for Zeren, who asked the same questions about the lighting in the room only to receive the same answers. Zeren placed his bags on the bed. He never planned to unpack or anything. There was no need to.

"Alright, thanks anyway," He said, coming back out of the room.

"Your mother and Shouno should already be back on the deck of the ship. Do you wanna go join them? Or do you want to come with me to meet the Captain?" Omin asked, giving Zeren options.

"I'll meet the captain. It's no trouble."

At the same time, Shouno and On Ju were talking back on the deck. Just idle talk and getting to know each other. "How old are you Shouno?"

"I'm fifteen," She answered energetically.

"Fifteen, eh? You seem pretty gutsy for a beautiful girl your age."

Shouno started doing stunts on the edge of the deck without care or worry. The stunts she was doing kind of worried On Ju, but they weren't out at sea yet, and it looked like she did this on the regular by how athletic she was. Doing handstands on the edge, jumping from one hand to the next. It was like a personal circus act.

"Haha! Don't make me blush, Miss," She said, handling her compliment a bit awkwardly. She was obviously a bit of a tomboy. That's what On Ju had realized way before this interaction.

"Don't bother with the 'Miss' treatment. It makes me feel old!" There wasn't much of a gap between them in relationship, but being called "Miss" made it feel like there was one. She didn't like that.

"So what should I call you?" Shouno asked, resting on her shoulders and kicking her legs while maintaining a handstand.

"Just stick with On Ju. Okay?"

"Okay, On Ju it is then!" She happily accepted. On Ju smiled back at her and nodded her head. They were friends now. The gap had been completely closed. On Ju had always been good at making friends and it would appear that Shouno was the same way. Both of them were too endearing to leave alone. "By the way, On Ju. How old are _you_?" On Ju cringed and when looked at Shouno's big evil grin. Perhaps she wasn't so innocent after all.

On Ju had asked first, but she didn't exactly anticipate the question being asked to her. "D-Do I have to?" She started to sweat and Shouno saw this but didn't understand why. Or at least appeared not to.

Shouno's face became blank with confusion. "Huh? Why not? Trust is a two way thing On Ju. I told you mine, so it's only fair that you tell me yours, right?" She obviously had a point and On Ju couldn't fight it. Her lips were sealed shut, but her logic caused them to quiver out the number.

"Thirffyyffytwfof" She said, muffling out the number, looking down. Shouno jumped toward her from the edge of the deck and squatted in front of her to level with her face. She cupped her ear with her hand and came within breathing distance of her face.

"Haaa? I couldn't hear you," She made known, apparently teasing her.

"I said thirty-two," She responded. Her voice was still muffled, but the actions that Shouno took to hear clearly made it much more easier to understand. Though she didn't appear shocked at all. Shouno took a few steps back and stood up. On Ju looked up at her, expecting criticism.

"Mhm. Just as I expected." She said, nodding her head with her arms folded. On Ju avoided looking at her face, but before she realized it, Shouno was already back down to her level, grabbing both of her hands and crying comically, catching On Ju off guard. Though she had been crying in a funny and ugly way, she looked at her with nothing but admiration. "You are so strong! You're my hero!" Shouno sobbed out in a very ugly way.

On Ju didn't know what to make of the compliment, so she just took it. "T-Thanks?" She said, watching the tears and snot run. It was about to fall all over her clothes that she wore specifically for the escort. "Um, Sh-Shouno!" Shouno ignored all calls and started hugging On Ju. "Oh! Oh gosh I can feel all the juice stirring and mixing on my clothes!" She complained. Her complaints got more and more detailed, but the sobbing continued.

On Ju was quite the crazy nut, but she could never handle crazy and Shouno was obviously her match. It was the start of a beautiful friendship built on love and respect.

On the other side, Omin knocked the door to the front of the ship where all the directions were handled. They were allowed to enter and there sat an elderly man with a athletic build reading a Fire Nation newspaper. "This is the captain of this ship. His name is Lu," Omin introduced with his hand in his direction.

Zeren walked up to Lu and bowed. "My name is Zeren. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lu," Zeren said. He'd never been good around people so that robotic introduction was all he could do to catch Lu's attention. Lu put down the newspaper and inspected Zeren.

"So you're the avatar, eh?"

"Ye-Yeah. Seems that way, ha...haha," Zeren tried to laugh off Lu's attitude, but then Lu wrapped his arm around Zeren's neck and began to laugh outrageously.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Perk up Kid!" He insisted, nearly breaking Zeren's neck in the process.

"Lu! Take it easy!" Omin ordered, but Lu failed to listen.

"Listen Kid, yer the freakin' avatar. I know yer abit new to this, but when ye introduce yerself, have some confidence! Pop yer chest out and be a man! No need to bow to me!" Lu released his firm grip of Zeren's neck, causing him to inhale and exhale to regain blood flow. "Now, try again Kid."

Following his command, Zeren tried a different approach to his introduction. "Nice to meet you, Lu. My name is Zeren," He said while sticking his hand out for a handshake. The introduction sounded flawless to him.

"Nah, Kid. Still too weak!" Lu countered, shaking Zeren's hand with a firm, tight grip. A grip that Zeren couldn't seem to match as he could feel his knuckles buckle in his hand from the tight squeeze. "Again!"

"My name's Zeren! Nice to meet you!" Zeren forced, while sticking out his hand while flexing every muscle in that right arm. His hand had been completely stiff and it trembled a bit. He wasn't scared, but he was flexing so hard to appear more manly that it gave that effect.

"That's too much! Ye won be findin' yerself any fine woman with THAT forced behavior," He told him. "Calm yerself and talk t'me as if yer proud to be alive." Zeren took a deep breath and tried one more time.

"The name's..." He paused for a second. He knew what Lu was trying to do and it wasn't gonna work over night, but he had to take the first steps at some point. He did it again. "The name's Avatar Zeren. I look forward to working with you from now on, Lu," He said, calmly and with discipline. He held out his hand calmly in the form of a fist. Lu smiled and gave him a fist bump.

"Nice t'meet ye, Avatar Zeren. And welcome aboard," He answered. Zeren smiled back. "Nd, that's Cap't Lu to ye," He jokingly corrected. After the long and awkward introductions were out of the way, they talked for a while. No longer than two minutes. After that, Omin told them that they were ready to set out and Lu made the preparations to get to sailing. Omin and Zeren left the room and Lu to do his thing.

"How'd you like him?" Omin asked, curious about his first impressions.

"He's...interesting," Zeren replied. He couldn't really find the word to describe him.

"Sorry. He's definitely a good man, but he can be overbearing most times," Omin tried to excuse his actions.

"Nah, it's fine. He has a weird way of showing it, but he was trying to help me out a bit. He's like that old, senile, but wise uncle that we all need," Zeren made the comparison.

"Funny you should say that, actually," Omin said, scratching his face.

"Why, whaddyu mean?"

"Lu is Shouno's uncle," Omin said, gut punching Zeren.

"You serious!"

"Yup. He's looked after her for so long." He said. "It's part of the reason she's such a tomboy."

"Wow. I dunno why that surprised me. Everyone has a story, huh?" Zeren thought out loud as he looked back at Lu's door, walking away from it.

"Well, you can't exist without a story, right?"

"I see your point," He answered.

Zeren and Omin joined On Ju and Shouno back on the deck as the ship finally set sail for the Fire Nation.


	3. B1CH3: Fire Temple

**I don't know why this was delayed up to this point. It was just petty laziness on my part. Sorry guys. This was actually done on Monday night, but I waited til today to release it since that was what I wanted to do in the first place.  
**

 **Book 1: Responsibility  
**

 **Chapter 3: Fire Temple  
**

* * *

A little more than half a day had passed since they set sail. Shouno was in the middle of the deck, breathing in and out with her hands held together, as if praying. It was the calmest she's been yet. Zeren was opposite of her doing similar breathing exercises. He opened one eye slightly to peek at her to see if he was doing it right.

He couldn't tell. Was he just supposed to be breathing? Or was there something else that needed to be done as well? Shouno suggested they started his firebending training now but she didn't really say much on what to do. It was just stand straight, hands together and breathe. He closed his eyes and continued again for about another minute.

"No, no. You're breathing all wrong!~" Shouno criticized. That was the first time he'd ever been criticized for _breathing_. He always assumed he was doing it right his whole life. Taken out of context, it's almost laughable.

Shouno walked up to him and said, "Your breathing is too short. I said take long, deep breaths." She stopped directly in front of him. She was only shorter than him by about an inch. "Your heart is also beating too fast. Slow it down and keep it steady," She said, putting a hand on his chest. That actually only served to make his heart beat faster.

"The he-...Why is it speeding up? I said calm it down," She said, glaring at him. He couldn't help it. He had no trouble talking to girls, but physical contact and caressing his chest no less, it gave him ideas.

"I can't help it," Zeren answered as honestly as he could.

"Listen. Strong firebending comes from the breath. A firebender whose cardio is all screwed up won't be able to bend to maximum potential. Understand?"

"I get that part, but you're too close..." Zeren tried to tell her the issue.

"What does my distance have to do with this?" She asked curiously.

"Well..." His heartbeat continued to increase.

"He means he sees you as a beautiful girl, Shouno!" On Ju teased.

"M-Mom!"

"Eh?" Shouno uttered obliviously. She grinned stupidly with slightly red cheeks and smacked Zeren's back hard. "Aw shucks! Don't embarrass me like that!"

Zeren reacted to the smack and rubbed the back of his left shoulder where the pain stemmed from. She was too strong. Anymore force and she probably could've thrown his back all out of whack. That's all he thought about. Captain Lu probably had a hand in her strength, since he's well built himself.

"Anyway, back to what I was saying," Shouno changed gears. "The point of proper breath control is to regulate the temperature and power level of the flames." She wasn't saying anything that Zeren didn't already know. But how could breathing be so difficult?

Shouno breathed in as deep as she could. Zeren could feel the air around them get warmer. She exhaled softly, while holding up her palm to about chest level, showing a small flame. It was small and tame, but incredibly hot. In fact, the flame wasn't even the typical color for most firebenders. It was pure white like snow.

All Zeren could do was look on in awe. Shouno smirked and said, "Cool, right?" as if reading the emotions he showed through his stupid gazes. He nodded in agreement with her. It was all he was capable of doing. It looked too cool.

Shouno diffused the flame to get Zeren's attention back on her. "Breathing determines the temperature and power of the flames you want to produce." She stepped away from Zeren to demonstrate. She breathed in deeply once again and white flames around her grew in size. She exhaled and the flames calmed down. "Inhaling determines the temperature and the amount of energy charged up. Exhaling determines the amount of energy you wish to release."

"Sounds complicated in an actual fight," Zeren commented.

"It's a lost fundamental. That's why most firebenders suck today," She replied with her hands behind her head.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Most benders in general nowadays have no discipline. They're all flash or muscle with no respect for the basics," She elaborated. She held Zeren's shoulders and looked at him with sparkles in her eyes. "That's why it's my job as your senior to make sure you don't end up like those pieces of sh-"

"Y-Yeah! I get it...thanks?" Zeren interjected. Everything she said had some truth to it, but it surprised him. She was around his age so he never thought that one so young would value the bending fundamentals so highly like every other old master. "Who's your master anyway?" Zeren wondered.

"Master Zheng Li!" She said with enthusiasm. "He's the strongest firebender I know!" She yelled boldly.

"Are you his only student? Or..."

"Well, there is one other person besides you and I," She answered.

"Can I ask who it is?"

"His name is Katou. Same age as us but too serious. It's kinda scary honestly..." She added.

"Why only two of you?"

"Master Zheng doesn't train everybody who comes his way. He sent away everyone over the years except the two of us." Zeren didn't want to keep bombarding her with questions, but he felt like he had to know what he was going to confront. So far the only one on that ship that was at his level personality wise was Omin.

"That's...reassuring," He said with blatant sarcasm. Shouno giggled.

"Don't worry! You're the avatar! I'm sure he'll make an exception," She told him. Though "avatar" was still only a title and he still only found out yesterday. The title "avatar" does very little to affect the hearts of those positively when his attitude doesn't match. In fact, it might have more of an opposite effect.

"I guess we'll see when I meet him," He passively answered.

Zeren took her attention off of the grinning Shouno and saw Omin coming from the hall of from the room where Lu directs the ship. "So, here's the plan right now," He said, trying to get everyone's attention. "We're coming close to Crescent Island. We're going to stop there for the night to restock."

"Eh? Didn't we do that last night before picking these guys up?" Shouno asked.

"Yes, we did, I'm very glad that you remember but we mostly ran out of _food_. Food which was supposed to last us the entire trip back. YOU, Shouno, took it upon yourself to have a late night buffet before we picked them up."

Shouno was visibly embarrassed and even a bit shaken. She laughed awkwardly. Not because she was exposed for being a glutton in front of her escorts, but because she was caught in the act by Omin, who was rather serious when it came to late night snacks, let alone buffets. "B-But Old Man Lu ate some stuff too! I'm not the only villain here!" She whined.

"Don't fret," He commanded while flashing some Fire Nation bills. "Lu already paid for his share, which wasn't much." Shouno began to sweat and hid behind Zeren. " **But** **Shouno** ~..." Omin's voiced rumbled. Zeren and Shouno were visibly shaken by the complete change in character. The kind, down-to-earth guy that Zeren was getting to know had been lost in the void, never to return. " **You ate everything else...which means it's all coming out of your allowance.** "

"NO~!" Shouno screamed for the world to hear.

* * *

About three hours later, they stopped at Crescent Island, which hadn't changed much since the days of the Hundred Year War. Not like much could change considering it was basically a small volcanic island.

Zeren and the rest of them walked off the ramp of the ship, looking at the five Fire Sages who had bowed their head to Zeren. He just knew that the sign of respect was directed toward him. He knew of the Fire Sages and bowed respectfully back toward them.

"Welcome, Avatar Zeren," The Fire Sage in the middle greeted. "I am Shazeng. It is an honor."

"I've heard a lot about the Fire Sages in my history class. It's an honor to finally meet you as well," Zeren said, bowing again. Much like the other sages, Shazeng looked as wrinkled as can be for an elderly man, but also looked to be in the best shape of all of them.

"Sorry, Shazeng. The idea was to only come here once on this escort," Omin said. "But we have a few gluttons on this ship." Shouno stood behind Zeren with comical tears in her eyes after being stripped of all of her money by Omin.

Shazeng laughed. "It is no issue. We rarely have visits anyway. And meeting the Avatar is as big a bonus as you can get," He pardoned. Zeren smiled uncomfortably but felt good being recognized. Zeren took a look at the four other sages, two on each side of Shazeng. Three of them were smiling. One of them gave Zeren what looked to be like a scowl.

Zeren couldn't tell if that was just one of those grumpy old man faces or if the guy had some unspoken hatred for him. Due to feeling a bit nervous by his look, he refused to even glance at him this time yet he could feel his eyes bore a hole into the side of his head.

"You and the Avatar look alike. You must be his sister, right?" Shazeng assumed.

"Hello. My name is On Ju. And no, actually I'm his mother," She corrected jokingly. Shazeng showed great interest in her youth and commented how young she looked for being a mother. Had he been about sixty years younger, she would have wrapped around him like a spider snake for the compliment, but she simply took it with rationality this time around.

After pleasantries were exchanged, they went inside the temple to gather the food they needed. Zeren looked at the interior of the Fire Temple only to be surrounded by dim, red lighting everywhere. It seemed to be a Fire Nation trademark. Shazeng and the other sages gathered food. Omin, On Ju and Lu helped. Zeren and Shouno explored while staying near the group.

"Is everywhere in the Fire Nation so dimly lit up?" He asked her. She giggled.

"Nah, not everywhere. Well, not mostly. Our light comes from the sun," She informed.

"The Fire Nation runs on solar energy?"

"We always have."

Shouno did standing push ups using the wall as support. Not for any other reason than her inability to stay in one place. "You guys don't use electricity?"

"For our factories and stuff like that, yeah, we use electricity. I'm just talking about the housing areas," She said, pushing herself off the wall. "In the day time, we allow the sun to give us our light. At night, if we're not asleep we'll light the rooms up with our bending or use spark rocks for the non benders. The room is well lit after that," She explained.

"I see," He said, adopting the same push up thing she was doing to pass the time. "Speaking of housing, where will me and my mom stay while I train?"

"We'll be staying with Master Zheng Li!"

"If he accepts me, that is."

"He will, he will. I told you not to worry, didn't I?"

"He has enough space for three?"

"He has a pretty big place all to himself. Katou doesn't stay there, but I do."

"Sounds like Zheng Li lives right," Zeren jokes.

"You have no idea," She winked.

Over by the area where the adults were restocking, On Ju looked at Zeren talking with Shouno. "He looks like he's having a good time," She noticed.

"This doesn't happen often, does it?" Omin asked curiously while packing fruit into a basket.

"Barely," She answered. "Zee has never been the talkative type. Even with me," She explained.

"Zee?" Omin asked.

On Ju stuck out her tongue. "It's a nickname I gave him, though he acts like he hates it. But nobody has time to say 'Zeren' every time. So I call him 'Zee' for short."

"That's rich considerin' _yer_ the one who gave 'im the name," Lu commented.

"Well it _is_ a good name," She said. "Besides, as his mother I can call him whatever I want to call him!" She pouted slightly.

"I think Zeren is the perfect name for him," Shazeng said, analyzing Zeren.

"Thank you," She said, sticking her tongue out at Lu.

After some more gathering and idle talk, Omin called over Shouno and Zeren so they could be shown to their rooms. Shouno already knew hers. All that was left was to place Zeren and On Ju. Again, dimly lit rooms of red. What else was to be expected? Zeren just got done talking about this with Shouno, so why did he expect something different?

"I'll be in the room across if you need anything, kay?" Omin assured.

"Thanks Omin," Zeren said.

It didn't take long for Zeren to settle in to prepare to sleep. It was already night out and it felt a bit crazy to him just how quickly that happened. Not much happened, yet Zeren felt exhausted. Was it being around Shouno all day that caused it? Or was it just one of those days where he had more happening to him than usual? He didn't know. Maybe the whole "Avatar" thing was exhausting him. He didn't know, didn't really care. He just wanted to sleep.

A few hours later and it was past midnight. Zeren still couldn't sleep.

* * *

 **Again, sorry guys for the late late LATE update. It was just a product of my laziness and other stuff catching up to me, but I want to at least try to do better this time around. It's still very early in the story and there is so much I want to do and explore with these characters. Expect another chapter to come out sometime tomorrow or a bit later. Just about half way done with that. It's the least that can be done for my absence.**

 **Anyway, this chapter came out pretty good when I proofread it. The only thing I love more than a plot is a characters interactions. If you can keep me hooked with characters talking, goofing off, etc etc then it's all good. That said, it's still a challenge to keep them entertaining without being overbearingly goofy. I want to keep these characters real to an extent. But so far, every character I've created I believe has a piece of me in them. It's why I love them so much already.**


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